CyberAlert -- 04/28/1996 -- More Denial

the Steven P.J. Wood Senior Fellow and Vice President for Research and Publications

More Denial

Another weekend, another round of
bias denial and bias display. Three items for you today, from most recent
to oldest:

On the April 28 premiere of "Fox News Sunday" moderator Tony
Snow raised the issue of the Freedom Forum poll showing 89 percent of
Washington reporters voted for Bill Clinton. Linda Chavez opined that the
public realizes that reporters cannot separate their personal views from
their reporting. Al Hunt then responded:
"If that poll is correct, it basically
reaffirms the argument that Linda just argued against. Which is, would
anyone argue that Bill Clinton has gotten an easy press the last three
years? If 89 percent voted for him, he's gotten an awfully tough press, I
think a deservingly tough press." Later he asked increduously:
"You think his health care proposals got a good press?"

On Friday night's PBS Washington Week in Review Alan Murray (Wall Street
Journal Washington Bureau Chief) led a discussion about how the minimum
wage has Republicans in a conundrum. Moderator Ken Bode offered this
concluding comment: "You know President Clinton said, I think it was
in the State of the Union, Alan, that the average Congressman, in
Washington, made more money during the period of time that the government
was shut down than a minimum wage worker makes in a year. Now that's a
pretty compelling political case to make."
In the next segment the panel took up Bob Dole's
speeach about Clinton nominating liberal judges. Bode wondered aloud:
"So federal judges are going to become this year's metaphor for
Willie Horton?"
Remember, Bode now serves as CNN's politocal
analyst during live campaign coverage.

From the "When did you stop beating your wife" school of
journalism, here's the last third of CNN reporter Marc Watts' April 19
Inside Politics story on the NRA convention:
"And the NRA's political fight is to save
its image as well. As the doors opened this April 19 to the group's Dallas
convention, people also gathered at Oklahoma City to commemorate the
bombing there exactly one year ago. After that tragedy the NRA was accused
of promoting the anti-government sentiment that may have spurred the
bombing. Critics accused the NRA of thumbing its nose at tragedy and
called upon the group to reschedule its convention, but the group's
President says financial commitments made that impossible."
Marion Hammer, NRA President: "It's not
responsible to try to change a date because your adversaries are, once
again, shamelessly trying to make political points on a tragedy."
Watts: "At the same time, the Democratic
National Committee is calling on likely GOP nominee, Bob Dole, to reject
financial support from the NRA. And, meanwhile, two gun
control groups have protested outside the Dallas Convention Center."
Jim Guest, Handgun Control, Inc.: "They're
representing an extreme, pro-gun position that is out of touch with
efforts that could really have an impact in reducing gun violence."
Watts: "Now one former, one prominent Texan
who won't be attending the NRA convention this year, former U.S. President
George Bush. You may recall he quit the NRA last year after the Oklahoma
City bombing; he said he was fed up with the NRA's anti-government
rhetoric. The organization said it was all a misunderstanding and it
denies any involvement in the blast."
Whoever suggested they were "involved"?

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